


Idiots Talking

by CheerfullyCynical



Series: Communication [2]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I know it's sad tober, Not necessary to read the first part to understand, The Doctor and the Master talk, The Fam ALMOST approves, The Master and the Doctor actually get along, but I wanted something happy, no, seriously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:28:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26888152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheerfullyCynical/pseuds/CheerfullyCynical
Summary: The Doctor and the Master actually talk about what happened to their past incarnations.Seriously, talking. That's it.
Relationships: Thirteenth Doctor & Yasmin Khan & Graham O'Brien & Ryan Sinclair, Thirteenth Doctor/The Master (Dhawan), Twelfth Doctor & Missy (Mentioned)
Series: Communication [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1961749
Comments: 5
Kudos: 44





	Idiots Talking

It had been three adventures with her fam before she got the message.

The Doctor did a full stop at her console screen’s, squinting, barely aware of the humans that were no longer making conversation behind her. Her entire mind was fixated on the blinking red dot in front of her, a parody of a Time Lord letter, and nothing could have brought her back down to her TARDIS’s walls.

“Um, doc?” Graham asked, just as she considered opening it, “Everything alright?”

“Yup!” She muttered but didn’t say anything else about it. “Yup” was a good enough answer, wasn’t it? She didn’t need to elaborate any more than that.

Of course her old friend would choose this way to contact her. She couldn’t _ever_ ignore a blinking red light, especially on her own TARDIS. Far too obnoxious – blinking red lights, that was, not the Master – and she knew that _he_ knew that. What was she to do? Let it blink? That would be ridiculous.

“Doctor?” Yaz this time, “Are you sure you’re alright? You… Kind of froze…?”

Her eyes left the blinking red dot, by Rassilon’s mercy, and spun around to face her companions. They looked worried. That wasn’t good – worried companions meant more work for the Doctor. Right, she had people to save, galaxies to amaze the fam with, running to do…

Running. She could do that.

“Right then, fam!” She said, clapping her hands, “Where to next? You’ve just seen Bombarda, but you haven’t seen _nothing_ in terms of moons. I mean, come on, three moons? Absolutely boring! I say we up that, yeah?”

They looked at each other with _that_ look. The ‘the Doctor is being funny and we should do something about it’ look. Most of her companions had that look, all with varying levels of it, but it was something else to see that expression on three different people. It was almost impressive.

“How many moons can a planet have?” Ryan asked.

The two other members of the fam glared at him, to which Ryan shrugged with a… Look on his face. She really was terrible with looks.

The Doctor smiled wide though, excited (and glad that they were letting the subject drop). More adventures to have, “Brilliant question. Let’s go find out!” 

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

There was running, plots to unfold, and people to save, as usual. The fam was enjoying a rather nice plate of very safe human-looking fruit as thanks for helping the planet banish a robotic plague, and the Doctor was happy enough to appreciate the quiet fields of Veresa as the fam reminisced about all the planets they had been to so far.

The view was incredible – twenty-seven moons was nothing to laugh about.

“So, Doctor,” Yaz asked, and the Doctor could practically feel the change in the atmosphere, “What happened in the TARDIS? You know, before we left?”

She rolled her shoulders, now knowing that lying in this regeneration of her was near impossible with her, apparently, very expressive face. “I got a message.”

Ha! Vague, but it made sense and it was enough to explain her actions. Maybe she wasn’t so bad a lying! She should thank her past self for being so very good at hiding – past _selves_ perhaps. She had never been one to share what she was feeling.

The fam glanced at each other again. She wondered when they had become so good at silent conversations – those three were having full sentences with each other without saying a word. She hoped that, even after their adventures, they stayed that close. 

“Like…” Ryan asked, “A distress message?”

Funny, that they would assume that. She supposed that getting a message to help someone made more sense than an old enemy wanting to talk.

Rassilon, what did “talking” entail?

“Not exactly…” She answered, head spinning at her own thoughts, “It’s from… A friend.”

“Ah,” Graham said, as if he had solved the biggest of riddles, “I had the same face on after I’d have to talk to Grace after a row.”

She blushed. _She blushed!_ That wasn’t fair! She had never been the blushing type – not for thirteen whole regenerations! She didn’t even know what blushing felt like until she felt like her face was on fire.

“I don’t get it.” Ryan replied, and Yaz let her head fall into her hands.

“Men!” she muttered, “The densest of species. Honestly.”

They weren’t angry with her – that was what she should be getting out of this conversation. She thought they would protest immediately, maybe even try to keep her from going… But it seemed that they were fine with the prospect of her visiting the Master again.

“ _Oh,”_ Ryan answered, then his eyes went wide “What! He’s alive? The Master’s alive?”

She hadn’t told them anything about what happened after Gallifrey. She had let Jack do the talking, to which he was extremely good at, and it was enough for the fam to accept that the Judoon had picked her up right after she escaped Gallifrey. The Doctor could see that they had more questions for her, but it was Jack that held them off.

It was Jack who received the full story. She didn’t deserve a friend like him.

“Ran into him,” She admitted as all their eyes turned towards her, “Well, by pure accident on both accounts.”

“Seriously?” Yaz asked, “you keep telling us there’s an entire universe out there, and you just _ran_ into the guy that tried to kill you?”

She winced, then thought about it. It was… The chances of running into him on that planet were ridiculously low – to the point that even her time sense had balked at seeing him. It hurt to think the Master orchestrated the whole thing, but she knew by the shock on his face as they bumped into each other that it couldn’t have been.

“I’m not sure,” She replied, entirely honest, confused herself, “He wasn’t there to see me – he was surprised as I was.”

There was silence. She said too much.

“I’ve done the same thing,” Graham said kindly, chuckling awkwardly around a silent table, “Angry at Grace one moment, then ending up in the same living room to calm down. We all have our places of comfort.”

_Places of comfort._

There was a reason she was in that library, after all. It was filled with good memories of _them._ One of their very first adventures, reading so many books to each other until their throats hurt. They were young, and stupid, and they had gotten caught only after a couple of hours of hiding from their professors.

All she wanted when she gone there for a second time was peace and quiet… But maybe it was the memories that brought him there as well.

“I don’t trust him,” Yaz said, but it wasn’t with distain, “and I _really_ don’t like him… And I don’t understand how you could forgive him after all he’s done… But if you think it’s safe enough to talk to him again, then it’s not fair of us to lecture you about it.”

She smiled – a big goofy one, going back the fondness in their eyes. It was nice to have friends again, even if she had to keep them at some sort of a distance. Just for a moment, she could pretend that they understood her.

“I told my friend Bill once,” She said, just because the mood felt right, “That if he just took a moment to admire the stars, rather than burning them…”

The sentence fizzled and died, tasting like ash on her tongue. The memories of his Missy, _of sweet, kind Bill,_ felt far too great. She had almost forgotten, in the ageless way that she did, that it had been Missy – The very same person that she was smiling about – that killed her friend and done so much more.

She straightened her shoulders – no more games, “Doesn’t matter,” She tells them, “I’ll be careful. I’m sure he’ll have his own plans, but that’s never stopped me before. Always come out in once piece, me.”

Whatever she said, it hadn’t helped her convince them. She winced. She wasn’t very good at this.

“You must have been married.”

“Ryan!” Yaz admonished, very nearly smacking him on the shoulder.

But the damage was done. She wondered how he had figured it out – how it took River three hundred years with her to learn about the Master, but Ryan only two. But that didn’t matter – it was _her_ that lead her to this point, talking with her companions about a life so far gone that it might as well be a forgotten story.

Would have been easier if it was.

But maybe memories didn’t have to hurt… Even after she learned of the Timeless Child.

“He was my best friend in school,” She told them, tone just above mournful, “I didn’t have much of a family growing up. Biggest loner ever, me. The other children where I lived didn’t like me much either, not that I can blame them. I was a bit of an oddball, even back then.”

She smiled.

“The Master was the first one to look at me and _see_ me – not just some strange, scared kid. He… Before he was the Master, he was my friend. And… Yes… we got married. In secret, of course! The High Console would have killed us both if they found out.”

“A secret wedding,” Yaz said, “Like you said with my Nani’s wedding – the hand tying.”

“Yes,” she whispered, then cleared her throat, “On… my home planet, the rope symbolizes a promise of forever, quite literally for us, I suppose. The Master and I promised each other eternity.”

She promised that to River as well. At least she lived that promise out.

They seemed…Well, she wasn’t sure what her confession had done to them. Graham seemed to have taken it the best, simply nodding at her in sympathy as he leaned back in his seat. Ryan was properly confused, looking blankly at his drink, while Yaz was the complete opposite – like she had just solved an impossible puzzle.

“That’s really romantic,” Ryan commented finally, then smiled mischievously at her, “Are you _sure_ that’s your story? Can’t picture you the romantic type.”

She laughed good naturally with them, her chest no longer tight, and allowed the memory of the Master’s smiling face to fade from view. He was so happy back then, so innocent and, dare she say, naïve. She missed the simple times. She missed _those_ times.

A few more drinks, and the Doctor finally wrangled the kids home. Well, it was Graham really that convinced them to leave, stating that they had been up for longer than twelve hours. The Doctor hadn’t even noticed – far too nervous for that little fact to even register.

She watched as they all made it back to the TARDIS, chatting again as they blinked the sleepiness from their eyes. She would have goaded them into another adventure in the morning, but she wouldn’t risk their lives. If she was really going to visit the Master, she didn’t want them to get hurt in the process.

They let her pilot the TARDIS, the blinking red dot once again obnoxious as she pulled the final lever, sending them from one time stream to another. It seemed the TARDIS was just as eager to get them back to Sheffield as she was.

“Alright, fam,” She said, but it came off in a different tone, “Off you pop! Graham mentioned being back for the weekend…?”

They crossed their arms, in sync. It was quite the intimidating picture.

“What?” She asked, practically feeling the red light behind her. A very big distraction. “Wrong date again? I was positive Graham said he wanted to be back Friday!”

Yaz sighed, “Fine, then. I’m too tired for this. Don’t get killed by the Master.”

She walked out with that sage advice, pulling Ryan along by his jacket. He made a noise of protest, but eventually followed Yaz with a quick, “See you later, Doctor!”

Graham, the caring one that he was, lingered. He pointed at her, opened his mouth, then deflated. She watched as he gathered his courage again, wondering what could have caused such whirlwind of emotion.

“If Grace was alive,” He said finally, looking her in the eyes, “And turned… Evil, I suppose… I’d do anything to get her back, no matter the cost.”

She tensed. She was never good at discussing her history, and she already revealed too much to them tonight. She especially didn’t want to talk about the Master. This was almost painful – for a human to understand the exact feelings she had.

She knew that Graham O’Brien would make an excellent companion.

“But!” He said, going stern, “don’t let him hurt you, doc. I think, if there’s anyone in this crazy universe you’ve shown us, he’s the one that can.”

She smiled – truly smiled. It was nice to have friends. It was hard to remember that sometimes. She watched as he made his way out of her home, yawning as he did so. Humans, always so tired. Always full of hope.

Hope.

She had some hoping to do herself.

Her eyes went, once again, to the ridiculously annoying red dot. Right. Opening the message. Not a big deal. One little push of a button and she’ll know what the Master wanted. She hated waiting. Always had.

So what in Rassilon’s name was she waiting for?

Before she could talk herself out of it, she found herself awkwardly smacking the button with her palm, a tinge of pain with the force of it, and then the message finally displayed on her screen, golden circles of Gallifreyan swirling together to create…

“Coordinates,” She muttered, “Of course. He would have never let me pick.”

She smiled at that, glad she still knew her old friend… Enemy… _Person._ Ugh, it was so tiring, putting a label to whatever they were. At least ‘labeling’ was not something she had to do – very much a human term, labeling.

The TARDIS hummed at her. The old girl wanted to go and tired of her distractions. Couldn’t blame her, really. And, besides, if the TARIDS wanted to go… Maybe the night wouldn’t be as bad as she thought. Maybe they had a chance of…

“ _Shush.”_

“Right, right.” She replied to her annoyed TARDIS, looking over the coordinates. Ah, a remote beach. The Master had always liked the shore – watching the waves. The monotonous sounds and sights brought him peace, at times, while the constant rhythm brought extreme boredom for her. That fit perfectly for their first ‘talk’.

She began to flip her levers, sending her through the time vortex, still anxious. “It’ll be fine,” She said, slowing her movements, “Just a beach – just us. Perfect spot, really. He probably thought that all out. Oh, should I change? Maybe I should change. It’s warm weather, and swimming, maybe, and-”

She sounded like a scared teen once again, pinning for the Master’s attention. She was obvious _and_ oblivious back then, and it was painful to be back to such a spot… Especially after their past. She should hate him, just as he hated her, and the idea of going on a _date_ with her enemy made her nearly sick to her stomach.

This time, the TARDIS had the audacity to shock her.

“Ow!” She said, shaking her hand to get rid of the numbness, “Rude! Very rude! I… Gah! You’re right. You’re right! Off we pop!”

With one last pull of a lever, she had arrived, the sound of the TARDIS’s breaks extra long and loud. The Master would hate her for it, but she found herself closing her eyes, calming herself. “Thanks, old girl.” She said, patting her console. She didn’t deserve such a friend, sometimes.

She fingered her sonic, making sure it was in an easy to reach spot, thinking about bringing something a bit more dangerous…But knowing that if he found out he wouldn’t take it well. With the feeling of heavy limbs, she moved past the safety of her TARDIS and out the doors.

She was hit with the smell of ocean nearly instantly, the planet the Master had chosen only consisting of a small mass of land, not enough for civilization, and surround by only salt water. Gravity, even, was just slightly lighter here, causing softer waves. It was peaceful.

And, surrounded in the peace, sat the Master. His back was to her, legs spewed over a slight hill. His infamous purple coat had been discarded, now covered in sand, but he barely moved as the breeze swept his hair back. He was still, arms splayed behind him, just keeping him upright.

The Doctor felt her hearts skip a beat at the sight. She hadn’t seen him so still since they were children.

“Hi,” She called out, feeling silly the moment it left her mouth, “Good spot… Even if I didn’t get to pick it.” She continued rambling as she made her way towards him, stupidly hurt when he didn’t turn to look at her. Instead, she was forced to walk all the way to him, plopping herself just far enough for him to be able to touch her without it being noticeable. Her feet dangled off the edge just as his did.

“You talk too much.”

Her ramblings about how nice the breeze felt, and her comparing it the planet Harstra, stopped immediately. She felt a smile make its way on her face. It was an old insult, one not filled with malice, and it was nice to hear him say it.

He was smiling too, if not just a little bit tinged with sadness.

“It’s good to see you,” She said, because she felt like she could, and it wasn’t necessarily a lie, “You look…”

She didn’t dare say calm. She didn’t know what to call him that wouldn’t set him off.

“No need to put a name on it,” He told her, looking out at the near translucent water, “Besides, I thought we were here to talk.”

She winced. “Best take that slow, yeah? Haven’t had a good history with talking.”

He laughed at that, finally turning to look towards her properly. He seemed… Content – his usual fury at anything she ever did was quiet behind his eyes. She had only seen reconciliation once or twice, only with Missy, and it never lasted long.

She laughed along with him, trying to forget old hurts. No point in bringing them up.

Still, the red sand of Gallifrey was brought to mind – this particular spot a harsh reminder of harder times. She had never liked sand after the Time War. It always brought thoughts of a very old friend, one that had been more intelligent then herself and had fled the planet. She should have followed him then.

Her thoughts grew dark. Her history as the Timeless Child – _of her –_ was drawn out of her brain by associations of war and hurt, and she hated that her mood visibly changed.

The Master expected it, “Knew you would get there, in the end,” He said, “You were never good at organizing your thoughts.”

She couldn’t stop the flash of malice that filled her, “Glad you know me so well, then.”

He smirked at that, “Always, love.”

She nodded, frustrations at him fading as fast as it had come. Knowing that their stories were intertwined… She loved it and loathed it. “Are you still angry?” She asked him, “About me? About the Timeless Child?”

“Aren’t you?” He argued instantly, “Not filled with rage over the lifetimes lost?”

It was never fury with her, unless it was dangerous and in the moment. No, when there were true hurts against her, she would always self-mutilate. She took everything to heart, as the humans would say. Hurting herself was easier than feeling such powerful emotions.

“I’m angry that it - _they_ took me away from you,” She said, not knowing how he would react, “I’m angry they drove you to insanity once again. I’m angry that what they did to me was enough to destroy them, no matter that you did it.”

“But most of all… I’m _lonely,_ ” She admitted, “I’m so _tired,_ Master. All I want is for everything to stop _moving.”_

And then… She was crying.

It was ugly, and stupid, and something she had never expected to happen right here in this moment. Sure, she had tears in that cell, but nothing like _this._ She expected… What? A simple day of talking out feelings? An old coffee date with a friend? She didn’t know, but she knew that _this_ wasn’t what she wanted.

She had wanted to make him love her once again – to have someone understand her and be wholly and fully by her side.

So why couldn’t she stop crying?

He didn’t say anything. Instead, he shifted closer to her, carefully swinging an arm around her shoulders, letting her put her head on his shoulder. She clung to him as if he was his only salvation, stupidly, and then clung harder, ashamed of herself.

His body shook, just once, and it was with suddenly clarity that he too was holding back tears. Quite a pair they make - two Time Lords crying about old history that was impossible to change. Their peers would have a field day about it.

There was no one to judge them here. Instead, they clung to each other like children, scared of the dark.

“I thought there’d be more yelling,” She said eventually, curled up against him, “You know, given our history…”

He chuckled at that, “I suppose I have to keep you guessing.” He was never a loud crier, and that was only confirmed by how steady his tone was now. Despite appearances, he always had a better handle on his emotions – slow to come, and slower to leave. She didn’t say healthier, but at least a mocking version of stable _._

Her emotions were always just _there_ – straight on the edge of a knife, ready to burst. She didn’t like to cry, didn’t like to show that weakness, but when she was around him, he had always been the exception. He was the only one that saw her true emotions.

She smiled against him, content with that thought. Missy would have been pleased that she finally came to the realization that they needed each other. Would the Master be too?

“What happened to Missy?” She asked quietly, the single moon just visible in the distance. They had cried for far too long.

The Master tensed, his body physically flinching. Still, he held her closer. She wondered if he would finally tell her the truth. Before, Missy had been a taboo subject – something both of them didn’t touch upon – but now seemed the only moment that he would confess.

And, knowing him so well, he did.

“Killed myself, I’m afraid.” He replied, as if that wasn’t a horror show, “Past me wasn’t very happy with my choice of arrangements.”

She felt herself slip – thoughts flowing together painfully, memories trying to make sense of themselves. She pulled away from him, looking him in the eyes. When she couldn’t spot the lie, her mouth fell open in horror.

“Thought you knew.” He commented, as if it didn’t matter, “What did you think I was doing with the knife? Threatening you?”

 _Yes._ That’s exactly what the Doctor thought Missy was doing. It made sense, didn’t it? A clear signal of “don’t follow me.” How had she been so _stupid._ How was she _still_ so stupid? She stared, dumbfounded at him, wondering if she too died without seeing the stars.

The Master laughed, back to insanity in the blink of an eye, “You really didn’t know,” He said, laughs still escaping him, “I was certain…” He looked, honestly, disastrously surprised.

She had been so angry at Missy for leaving her once again. No, the better word was disappointed – disappointed in the Master and disappointed in herself. She hated that, even after her regeneration, Missy voice was never far from her mind. Seeing the Master again, as O, had been more painful than he could ever know.

And now? Now that she _knew_ Missy had come back to the Doctor? It hurt more than anything.

“I didn’t know,” She said, before she could hear what he was accusing her off, “If I had known, I would of-”

“Saved me?” He finished, rolling his eyes, “And my past self would have brought you down with me. I no doubt had a plan for that… If Missy hadn’t shot him first.”

_What._

His timeline was more confusing than her own. She tried to picture a time where she would have killed herself to prevent something. Perhaps during the Time War, but even then – to most of her horror – she knew that in using The Moment, she had saved billions. She couldn’t think of a time she would so bluntly disagree with her past or future.

“I’m sorry.” She said softly, once again feeling awful. That was twice now that she had to apologize to him.

The Master didn’t like apologizes – never had. He never liked to be slighted in the first place. If something required an apology, she knew that they would soon become a victim of his wrath. She wondered how much forgiveness he had left for her. He said nothing as they both stared at each other, one old friend to another.

He nodded, just a little. He looked tired. “Well,” He said, “Here’s to misunderstandings.”

Understatement of the century. Still, the words felt like just enough forgiveness to once again focusing on this moment, rather than the past. Her tears felt silly compared to his calm.

Then, she laughed, because there was no other option in the face of their mixed misery, “What a pair we make,” She said, wiping at her dry eyes, “Two idiots against the entire universe.”

“I believe you meant _idiot –_ not idiot _s.”_

The teasingly lit of his voice had her laughing once again, back to old ways, “Maybe you’re right… As long as you’re the idiot.”

“Ha,” he said, raising an eyebrow at her, “Oh yes. Me. Says the one covered in rainbows and three minutes late to my exact coordinates. Tell me, was that you or your TARDIS?”

She blushed, “The TARDIS.” She confirmed, “Finicky, she is. Doesn’t exactly like you after everything.”

He hummed in agreement, but it was the tilt of his head that had her thinking she didn’t convince him at all. Still, she was glad he didn’t comment on it. She didn’t know if she could handle anymore teasing – not when she was reminded so fiercely of her friend.

“What about you, then?” The Master asked her, “What happened to you?”

She thought that was pretty obvious, “Died – shot by a Cyberman or two. Woke up in the TARDIS. I’m still not sure how I got there. Think…” She remembered… metal arms, carrying her… “I think Bill had something to do with it.”

He looked at her, but it was her this time that refused to meet his eyes. Instead, the beautiful waves held back more painful memories. The Master _had_ picked a good spot. She would no doubt pick somewhere with more people – more life. This was easier.

“That’s _shit.”_

A smile made its way on her face, “That’s shit.” She agreed, because there was nothing else to say about it. The Master summed it up rather perfectly.

They stayed silent for a while. Eventually, somehow, they ended up on their backs, coats and jackets used as blankets as the Master’s arm turned into a pillow for her to use. She had a leg thrown over his, sharing valuable body heat as the planet grew colder and colder.

They talked about much simpler things – swapping stories of their various adventures. The Master delighted in the ones that had her _just_ figuring out the puzzle. The Doctor liked hearing his thoughts on the universe, and the strangers that he met on the way. Not friends, but people that had impressed him.

He turned to look at her after a while, in the middle of her Emoji robot problem, the light _just_ enough for her to see his face. He leaned about her, staring intently, savoring. The Doctor did the same.

“You’re beautiful.”

She blushed, heat traveling all the way to her neck. The Master’s eyes followed it, hungrily, then to something softer. He got up, dusting himself off, flinging sand everywhere, then held out his hand to her.

It felt more symbolic than anything else. She hesitated, staring at that hand, one she thought would always be available to her. With belated hope, she lifted her arm towards him, lacing their fingers together. Both their hands were freezing, even as he lifted her to her feet, but the Doctor didn’t dare let go.

They didn’t let go, even as the Master led her to her own TARDIS. The console room was pulsing orange, serene, and far to obvious. Somewhere along the day, the TARDIS had forgiven the Master just as she had.

He looked at her again, like a drowning man to shore, and the Doctor felt something in her collapse. She pulled him towards her, throwing him into a tight hug. He clung to her, arms around her middle, and the Doctor put her own arms around his shoulders, pulling him in closer, relishing him being _here._

“I have always loved you,” He whispered into her ear, “ _Theta.”_

It was like breathing, “ _Koschei.”_

It wasn’t perfect, nothing was, but having him in her life again, as the friend she so desperately needed, was more than she could ever hope for.

Maybe, many years later, they would remember the vow they promised each other, as husband and wife, and grant each other another eternity…

Together.

**Author's Note:**

> I HOPE AND PRAY THIS IS IN CHARACTER. 
> 
> If not, at least they're happy. 
> 
> As always, if you wanna talk about Doctor Who, need someone to rant to in general, or just want a new blog to follow, I'm over on tumblr at cheerfullycynicalfandom.tumblr.com


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